On Saturday, June 24, 2017, at approximately 2 a.m., State Police responded to the area of State Route 5 at Bennetts Corners Road in the town of Elbridge for a vehicle driving recklessly. Witnesses reported a grey Chevrolet Malibu traveling westbound in the eastbound lane and striking a guard rail.
Troopers were able to locate the vehicle on State Route 5 and attempted to pull the vehicle over. The vehicle refused to stop and continued to travel west on State Route 5 nearly striking a vehicle head-on.
The driver then pulled over to the north shoulder of the roadway just west of Kester Road. The driver, later identified as Joseph D. Hess, refused to exit the vehicle and became combative and resisted arrest.
Joseph D. Hess, 19, from 5219 Dodier Drive in Weedsport, was subsequently taken into custody and was charged with the following:
- DWAI-Drugs, an unclassified misdemeanor
- Resisting Arrest, a class “A” misdemeanor
- Reckless Endangerment 1st degree, a class “D” felony
- Assault 2nd degree, a class “D” felony
- Reckless Driving, an unclassified misdemeanor
- Unsafe Passing on Left, a violation
- Leaving the Scene of a Property Damage Accident, a violation
- Failure to Keep Right, a violation
- Failure to use designated lane on a highway, a violation.
Hess was arraigned in the Town of Elbridge Court and was remanded to the Onondaga County Justice Center in lieu of $10,000 cash/$20,000 bond. He is scheduled to appear back in Elbridge Town Court on June 28, 2017 at 1:00 p.m.